Number two is supposed to be the “fake” one but it’s actually slightly less stupid than the “real” one.

The whole idea that you can influence people or change their minds through FB posts is idiotic. People are drawn to whatever confirms their existing beliefs. Folks who are genuinely capable of changing their minds on important issues in adulthood (like me) are rare and definitely don’t do so under the influence of social media memes.

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NYTimes is inviting people to guess which of several FB posts are “real” and which are “fake.” Here is an example:

OOne of these posts wasfrom a genuine Facebookpage that supports feminism,and the other was partof an influence campaign.Can you guess which
post is from a fake page?

TAP ONE TO CHOOSE

INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN

— OR —

— OR —

The newspaper claims that the second post is “real” while the first is “part of an influence campaign.” This is a very bizarre distinction to make because both are real if they exist in reality and the second one is very clearly trying to influence the way people behave, so it’s part of an influence campaign as much or more than the first.

Maybe by “real” and “fake” they mean good-intentioned or bad-intentioned? But that’s the most subjective thing in the world.

We could discuss which post is dumber but it’s FB. They both suck.

P.S. Sorry, the second one posted twice. It must because NYTimes really likes it.